13 documents deemed valid

Absentee voting is an increasingly popular option among Coloradoans. This year, about two-thirds of eligible voters in La Plata County will cast ballots by mail.

But those who choose to perform their civic duty the old-fashioned way – at a polling place on Election Day (or early) – will need to present some means of identification.

According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, 13 different cards or documents are acceptable. The most common, by far, is a driver’s license, said County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee Parker, but an in-state college ID or current utility bill with name and address work just as well.

Parker said election judges are trained to know which forms of ID are valid.

Voters who are confident of their eligibility but lack the requisite identification may fill out a provisional ballot to be counted at a later date pending verification, she said.

Parker said people voting on Nov. 6, Election Day, should go to their designated precinct location, determined by street address. A Fort Lewis College student who lives on East Third Avenue, for example, would need to cast his or her ballot at the La Plata County Courthouse, not the college’s Community Concert Hall.

As of Tuesday night, the clerk’s office had counted nearly 14,000 early and absentee ballots.